


Give Me a Reeson

by alexandwrite



Category: Hustle Cat (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Finley does shenanigans, Reese is a good boy, Reese protecc, Valentine's Day, gender-neutral pronouns for Avery, mention of Avery/Graves, post-Graves route, trans Reese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 13:43:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15268722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexandwrite/pseuds/alexandwrite
Summary: Valentine's Day is coming up, and Finley proposes a contest.  Will this contest do anything to advance a certain will-they-won't-they relationship?





	Give Me a Reeson

**Author's Note:**

> This is a not-for-profit fanwork. The characters of Hustle Cat belong to Kasey Van Hise and Date Nighto, and A Cat's Paw belongs to Graves until I can figure out how to beat him in a duel.
> 
> Reviews and comments are welcome. Especially people who want to spread the Reese/Mason love. Am I the only one who originally thought Mason was Reese's canonical crush? From what I've read online, it seems like I am. Whoops.
> 
> Sorry not sorry for the shitty title pun.

“Graves, get ready to raise my pay, because I am a _genius_!” says Finley at breakfast.

“Finley, how many times do I have to tell you?” says Reese, mouth full of frittata.  “We’re not changing the café name to The Jelly Donut.”

“Wait, you’ve actually proposed that?” says Avery, laughing.

“Once a month, like clockwork,” says Graves with a flourish.

Finley crosses her arms.  “I’m just sayin’, it would be a more recognizable name.  Right, Mason? …Mason?”

She’s chewing her food slowly, looking down at the table.  It can be hard to tell when someone so naturally quiet is zoning out, but Finley knows her well.

Finley snaps her fingers in the chef’s face.  “Earth to Mason!”

Mason lifts her head.  “Oh! …Mm.”

“See?  Mason agrees!”

“Sure, right,” says Reese.  “Too bad Mason isn’t assistant manager.”  But he’s watching her curiously.

“But anyway!” says Finley, slamming her hands down on the table.  “That isn’t my idea!”  She’s looking at Graves, practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

Graves decides to humor her.  “Do tell.”

In a flash, Finley takes her laptop out of her bag, opens it, and spins the screen to face her co-workers.  “Ta-da!!”

The most noticeable thing about the graphic is that it’s drowning in pink and red hearts.  There’s a clipart-esque picture of two cuddling cats, and a silhouette of two humans holding hands.  Bold letters at the top proclaim:  A CAT’S PAW VALENTINE’S DAY PHOTO CONTEST.

“Oh yeah, Valentine’s Day is coming up, isn’t it?” says Avery, with just the slightest glance at Graves.

“A photo contest, huh?” says Landry.  “That’s kind of a neat idea.”  The rest of the table murmurs their agreement.  Besides Mason, who is zoning out again, and Reese, who looks a bit cross.

Finley explains, “People send in their cutest couple photos, of either people or cats.  And we pick the best to put on our blog!”

“And by we,” says Avery, “you mean _you_?”

“You can help me pick if you want, Avery!”  She looks sly.  “I thought you might want to submit, though.”

Reese makes a choking sound.  The joke doesn’t go over much better with the rest of the table, either.  Graves looks frozen in his seat.

“Huh?  You think?” says Avery.  “Hmm...come to think of it, Ein and Junta have been getting pretty cuddly lately.  I’m not much of a photographer, though.”

Surprisingly, it’s Hayes who starts giggling first – probably from nervousness, but this breaks the tension and some of the others also start laughing.  Avery realizes belatedly what Finley actually meant, and blushes just slightly, shooting a look at Graves.

Graves clears his throat.  “Yes.  Well.  Very good idea, Finley.  I leave you to figure out the details.”  Then he mumbles something about having a lot of work to do and makes his escape.

“Can I promise cash prizes?” Finley calls after him.

“Fine, fine.”  He waves her away and shoots up the stairs and out of sight.

“Geez, what bullies!” says Avery, mock hurt.

“You really shouldn’t joke about that kind of thing,” says Reese.  He sounds serious.  Even angry.

“Oh, whatever!” says Finley.  “It’s not like we don’t know they’re dating.  What do we say, like, $100 to the winner, $50 to runner up – ”

Reese holds his mug to his lips, betraying his white knuckles.  “Just because we know it doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to talk about.”

There’s a collective intake of breath as Avery tries to figure out if this is an insult, or what.

Hayes jumps up.  “I-I’m gonna go clean up!”  He almost drops his dishes, but Mason steadies him.  They move to the kitchen, and Landry follows.

Avery breaks the silence.  “It’s okay, Reese.  Really.  I don’t mind.  Graves and I are still figuring things out, but – ”

“Great,” says Reese.  “Leave me out of it.”  He picks up his dishes and walks away, leaving Finley and Avery staring after him.

 

The rest of the morning passes quietly.  The tension at the breakfast table is more or less forgotten.  Everybody goes through their normal working routine, except when Finley pulls someone aside from time to time to get opinions on the contest webpage she is creating.

Reese throws himself into his work, embarrassed at his outburst that morning and trying to forget the whole conversation.  But when he goes down to the basement to check stock, he can’t prevent certain thoughts from surfacing.  Things like, _If Avery had never found that book down here, none of this would have happened._   And, _If Avery had never come here in the first place, none of this would have happened_.

“…Reese?”  It’s Mason’s voice, from the top of the stairs.  Reese practically jumps out of his own skin.

“W-what?!”

“…”

“…”

She was probably checking to make sure he hadn’t choked on dust or anything.  He must have been down there longer than he thought.

“Need your help,” says Mason, turning back to the kitchen.

By the time Reese makes it up the stairs, Mason is already back at her counter, chopping vegetables.

“U-um.  What do you need help with?”

She doesn’t spare him a glance.  “Stir this.”  Reese walks over to the pot on the stove and obeys.  It’s some kind of tomato-based soup.

They work in silence for a few minutes, Mason chopping, Reese stirring.  Reese feels like he’s about to burst any moment.  He’s never minded Mason’s stoicism – he admires it, in fact – but he can tell she’s getting ready to say something.  He wishes she would say whatever it is fast, before he pops.

She does.

“You jealous?”

Reese almost drops the spoon.  “Jealous?  Of who?  Whaddya mean?”  _Smooth, Reese._

“…Avery.”

“Oh, _God_ no.”

Mason’s still staring fixedly at her vegetables, but now there’s a slight pink tinge on her cheeks.  Reese impulsively grabs her shoulder.

“Mason.  Believe me.  I am NOT jealous of Avery.”

“…Been acting like it, is all.”

Reese goes back to stirring the soup.  He has to think a bit before deciding what to say next.  “Just…don’t you think it’s a little creepy?  Graves is literally twice their age.”

“So?”

“So!  Avery is my age!”  Mason sets down her knife at that.  “And Graves has known me basically my whole life!  He knew me back when I wore dresses!  And now, he’s dating someone my age?  Don’t you think that’s weird at all?”

Mason looks straight into Reese’s eyes for once.  “Did he ever make a move on you?”

_That’s probably the longest sentence she’s said this month_.  “No.”

“Do you worry he’s gonna?”

“…No.  I guess I trust him that much.”

“But not with Avery.”

“…I guess not.”  Reese looks surprised.  Mason returns to her chopping, and Reese to his stirring.  But he can’t keep the silence for long.

“I just…I just thought I was gonna be the one to look after Avery.  They had such an affinity for magic.  But they were so naïve.  And I was the assistant manager, and Graves’ apprentice, so I thought…it’s my job to protect them.”

“ ’S not your job.”

“And then it turns out they’re stronger than me, and a faster learner by far!  And they’re gonna keep shooting past me.  I bet Graves is giving them all sorts of special lessons – not THOSE kinds of lessons, God – like, magic lessons, things that are too advanced for me, or that I just don’t deserve to know, and maybe Graves is tired of teaching me, cuz I’m so slow compared to them, and…I don’t know,” Reese finishes lamely.

Mason takes a deep breath.  “So that’s what you been worried about.”

_!_

“Noticed you been different lately.  Worried it was somethin’ worse.”

_Mason’s been worried about me??_

Mason puts down her knife again.  “ ’S not your job, you know.  Avery can stick up for themself.  They’ve shown that.”

“I guess so…But, like.  The age difference would be bad enough, but.  Graves is our _boss_.  Just like all of us, Avery depends on Graves financially.  That’s not an equal relationship.”

“…You’re kind, Reese,” says Mason, which throws him for a loop.  _I’m kind?  Not bossy, or a bully, or nosy?  Kind??  She said my name???  She never says people’s names???_

“We’re a coven now.”  Mason smiles slightly.  “We all look after each other, right?  We’ll all look after Avery together.  Just like Avery’s looked after us.  Doesn’t mean you have to be a bodyguard, though.  Should be looking after your own needs.”

“My needs?” Reese repeats, not understanding and still kind of bewildered at how talkative Mason is today.  _We’re a coven.  I get to be in a coven with Mason._

They hear a bubbling sound.  The long-forgotten soup pot is just about to boil over.  “Oh, shit – !”

Reese turns to the pot, grabs the spoon, and starts stirring frantically.

“Too fast now,” says Mason, behind him.  Reese feels Mason’s hand closing around his.  Mason slows the pace, and they stir together.  All thoughts of Avery and Graves are forgotten in favor of Reese’s rapidly beating heart.

“ ’S nice.  Cookin’ with someone else.  You.”

“Yeah…I like it, too.”

CLICK.

“Ooops!  I thought my sound was oooff!” Finley sings from the kitchen door.

Reese jumps out of Mason’s arms, realizing belatedly that he had just been in Mason’s arms.  “F-Finley!”

Finley makes a peace sign.  “You know me and candids!”  And with that, she goes bouncing out of the kitchen.

“Aaaaargh!”  Reese turns around to see Mason laughing.  Actually laughing.  Okay, almost silently, but she’s really choking herself up over this one.

_…She’s cute when she laughs…_

Reese stands there helplessly as Mason wipes the tears from her eyes.  “Go, go.”  She shoos him away.  “Back to your work, assistant manager.”

He does, but he’s distracted the rest of the day, for a refreshingly new reason.

 

“HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!”

“I really appreciate it, Finley, but I could have heard you without the megaphone to my ear,” says Reese irritably.

“BUT WE MUST HAVE A MEGAPHONE FOR ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE COMPETITION!” says Finley.

“I mean, we could also just look at the blog,” says Avery.  “You posted them already, right?”

“OH, FINE.  RUIN MY FUN.”  It’s hard for anyone to take that pouting tone seriously when it’s being amplified by a megaphone.

“I’m still surprised you aren’t a sound wizard,” says Reese.

“CUZ I’M LOUD?”

“No,” Reese sneers.  “Cuz sound wizards are the most obnoxious ones.”

Well, that gets her to stop using her megaphone, at least in the traditional sense.  Instead she’s using it to chase Reese around the café, hitting him with it whenever she gets close.  Surprisingly, Reese is laughing.  Everyone has noticed that Reese has been a lot more relaxed lately, and it’s a relief to all of them.  Reese was the first one here, after all.  In a way, he’s the heart of the café.  The heart of the coven.

Avery is thinking just such thoughts as they scroll through the photo contest page on their phone, with Landry, Hayes, and even Graves looking over their shoulder.

The winners are all really cute.  Finley ended up deciding to let the customers vote on photos, and it turns out their customers have pretty great taste.  In the winner’s section, there’s a pair of cats sleeping, foreheads touching, their bodies forming a heart shape.  There’s a pair of cuddling kittens with almost identical brown spots around their eyes, but one has it over the left eye and one over the right.  There’s a couple of humans walking on a beach at sunset, holding hands, their cat trailing behind them.  And one photo is a selfie taken in the café, the couple holding up matching cappuccinos with hearts in them.  Hayes should get some credit for that one.

Avery scrolls past the winners and on to the honorable mentions.

“Ah,” says Graves.  “I think I’ve found my favorite.”

Everybody’s eyes boggle out of their heads are they see two familiar faces on the website.  It’s Mason and Reese in the kitchen.  Mason stands behind Reese, leaning slightly over the much shorter boy, her arm curling around him to help him with stirring.  Even though they’re not actually looking at each other, it’s immediately obvious why the picture got high votes on a cutest couple contest.

“Hey Reese!” says Avery.  “Come over here.  You should see this.”

Reese comes over, looking confused.  Finley looks like the cat who ate the canary.

Avery tosses Reese the phone.  He takes a moment to process what he’s seeing…and then turns bright red.

“FINLEY!” he yells.  “How could you?!”

Finley puts her hands up in a defensive gesture.  “Wasn’t me!”

“Bullshit.  You took the picture, didn’t you?!”

“Yeah, I _took_ it, but I didn’t submit it.  What, you think I would submit to my own contest?”

“Then how – ”

Reese cuts off abruptly when he feels a presence looming over his shoulder.

“Mm,” says Mason.  “Honorable mention.  Not bad.”

Reese whips around to face her, collecting himself.  “Mason…you did this?”

Mason doesn’t grace that with a response.  She looks over at Graves.  “This mean I get fifty bucks?”

Graves, like most everyone else in the café, is suppressing laughter.  “Of course.”  She nods.

Reese is visibly offended.  “Did you do this just to get the money?!”

Mason’s eyes shift to his still-blushing face.  “ ’Course.”

“I can’t believe – ”

“So think about what you want to use it for on Sunday.”

With a sheepish half-smile, she turns around and heads back to the kitchen.

Everyone looks at Reese, who is practically frozen.  Until Finley slaps him hard on the back, making him lose his balance.  “DUDE!  NICE!”  This, of course, she says through her megaphone.

“Wh-what just happened?” says Reese, flustered.

“I think she just asked you on a date!” says Landry.

“Really?! Are you sure?”

“Haha, what else could it be?”

“Wait a second!!” says Avery.  “Are you two actually dating?!  How long has this been going on?”

“Uhh.  Since now, I guess?” Reese is clearly still embarrassed, but even more clearly pleased.        

“More like, since always!” says Finley.

“No way, you’re making things up!”

“Am not!  You two have been making googly eyes at each other since forever.”

“Even I’ve noticed,” says Hayes.

“Ditto,” says Graves.  “Nothing gets past these eagle eyes.”

“Why do you think she’s been zoning out so much lately?” says Finley.  “She’s been trying to decide how to ask you out!”

_Well, time to die of embarrassment,_ thinks Reese.  _Or maybe joy._

Finley breaks his train of thought by shaking the megaphone in his face.  “Well, now that you’re official, it’s time for the world to know!”

“Oi!”  Reese makes a grab for her shirt, but she flits out of his reach and out the door, raising the megaphone to her face.

“HEY WORLD!  REESE AND MASON ARE DATING AND THEY’RE SUPER CUTE!”

“FIIIINLEEEY!”


End file.
